Railroad-switch.



C. C. SWAN.

RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLIGAI'ION 11mm mm: 25, 1901.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

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witnesses C. C. SWAN.

RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLICATION nun 1111117. 25, 1901.

903 ,024. I Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

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G. G. SWAN.

RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED Jun 25, 1907.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

O. G. SWAN.

RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, 1907.

903,024. Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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ULAUDE U. SWAN, 0F BUFFALO, YORK.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

Application filed June 25, 1907. Serial No. 380,807.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAUDE C. SWAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railroadfiwitches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in railroad switches, in train-actuated means for automatically operating the switches, and in automatically acting means for setting the air brakes of a train in the event that the latter should fail to stop before reaching an open switch, and the said invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

in the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 is a top plan view of a switch constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a verti :al longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. at is a transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. is a detail elevation of the cam bars. Fig. 6 is a top plan view showing the application of my in'iproved switches to form a cross-over between two tracks. Fig. 7 is a top plan view showing an extended portion of one of the tracks. Fig. 8 is a similar view showing a further extension of the same. Fig. 9 is a detail elevation of one of the signal operating devices which also coacts with a device on the locomotive to automatically apply the air brakes of the train in the event that the latter should attempt to run past a switch which has been set at danger. Fig. 10 is a detail side elevation of one of the train operated switch throwing devices. Fig. 11 is a detail elevation. Fig. 12 is a similar view of one of the train-whcel-operated switch throwing devices and its connections. Fig. 13 is an elevation of a locomotive provided with my improved tappet mechanism for operating the switch and valve for operation by the device shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 14 is a detail sectional view of the steam-actuated tappet mechanism carried by the locomotive.

M y improved switch comprises, in connection with the main rails or and the switch rails b, disposed at an angle thereto, a pair of frogs 1 which are disposed opposite each other in the spaces between the main rails and the switch rails, and each of which has on its upper side a triangular head 2 forming a switch point for directing the wheels of a train to the desired track. The said frogs are vertically movable and are employed in connection with means hereinafter described for moving them vertically simuL taneously in opposite directions to control the passage of trains to the desired track. ()n the inner sides of the main track rails a and spaced therefrom and from the frogs 1 are guard rails Lugs 4 are bolted to the inner sides of the main rails a at the switch by bolts 5, so as to fill the spaces between the inner base flanges and the heads of such main rails and present inner laterally inclined faces 6 which are opposed to the similarly inclined outer faces of the frogs 1.

Blocks 7 are secured by bolts 8 on the sides of the guard rails 3 which are opposed. to such frogs and present laterally inclined faces 9 to the similarly inclined opposing faces of the frogs. ()n the usual wooden ties 10, under the frogs, the guard rails, and the meeting portions of the main and switch rails, are metallic tie bars 11 which are preferably made of steel or iron and which serve to directly support such guard rails, frogs and the meeting portions of the main and switch rails. Such metallic tie bars are secured on such ties 10 by spikes 12. Chair brackets 13 bear on the elevated end portions 14 of the metallic tie bars and against the exposed outer surfaces of the rails a and the uard rails 2 and are provided with verticaf arms 15 having openings through which the bolts 8 extend. Such chair brackets are further provided with horizontal arms 16 secured on such elevated portions of the tie bars by vertically disposed bolts 17. In the angles between the outer ends of the bolts 8 and 17 are arms 18, 19 which respectively bear against the outer sides of the nuts on such bolts, thereby providing slots in the said chair brackets for the reception of the nuts, and keys 20 which are preferably wedge-shaped are driven in the inner ends of said slots and bear against one side of each of the nuts to lock the latter against turning on the bolts and hence serving to prevent the nuts or the bolts from working loose.

Those portions of the tie bars 11 which are directly under the frogs are provided with vertical recesses 21 open at their upper sides to enable such frogs to be raised and lowered. Longitudinally disposed bars 22 are placed in the bottoms of such recesses and are provided with depressed portions 23 between the ties, elevated portions 24 above the tie bars and inclined cam faces 25 be tween such recesses and elevated portions. The frogs are provided near their lower edges with longitudinal grooves 26 in opposite sides. lanigitudinally disposed cam bars 27, which are similar in shape to the bars 22, are secured to the under sides of the frogs by pairs of clamps which engage the said grooves 28, the members of said pairs of clamps being secured together by bolts 29, as shown. The said clamps, while connecting the said cam bars to the under sides of the frogs adapt such cam bars for longitudinal movement under the frogs. The said cam bars have depressed portions 80, elevated portions 251, inclined cam faces 32 to coact with the inclined cam faces 25 of the bars 22 to raise and lower the frogs and are further provided with cam slots 33, each of which has a horizontal lower arm 34 parallel with a depressed face and an inclined arm parallel with a cam face 32. The tie bars 11 are provided with lugs 36 in which are secured tappet pins or locking devices 237, the ends of which enter the cam slots or grooves of the cam bars 27 and enable such cam bars to be moved longitudinally by the coaction of the cam faces 25, 32 of the bars 22 and such cam bars 27. In connection with such longitudinally movable cam bars I employ means, which I will now describe, to move such cam bars longitudinally in reverse directions, to cause one of the frogs to be raised and the other to be depressed so as to set the switch for the passage of a train either past or onto the switch rails, as the case may be.

A pair of reversely disposed bell cranks 38, which are pivotally mounted, as at 39, are each provided with a long arm 40 extending transversely with reference to the track and a shorter arm 41 extending substantially parallel with the track. Such longer arms are connected by rods 42 to the longitudinally movable cam bars. The shorter arms of such bell cranks are connected together by a rod 43 which extends transversely under the track rail, the pivotal connections between such rod and shorter arms of the bell cranks being indicated at 44.

On the outer side of one of the switch rails b of each switch is a train-operated vertically movable switch lock rail 45 supported by links 46 which are pivotally connected thereto at their upper ends, as at 47, having their lower ends pivotally mounted on the tie bars 11, as at 48. Springs 49 act to normally move such lock rails to keep such switch lock rails depressed so that their upper sides will be level with the heads of the switch rails 5 against which they are depressed. Such springs are here shown as coiled extensile springs operating on rods 50 which are pivotally connected to the switch lock rails, as at 51, and are movable longitudinally in supporting devices 52, as shown in detail in Fig. 12, such springs bearing between such supporting devices 52 and nuts 53 which form stop elements on such rods. here a pair of my improved switches co operate as in the arrangement shown in Fig. 6, in which the switches provide a crossover between two adjacent tracks, the rods 43 which are connected to the frog operating bell cranks 38 are also connected to bell cranks 54, which bell cranks are connected together by a rod 55 for simultaneous movement so that the frogs of both ofthe switches will be simultaneously operated, as will he understood.

Each switch lock rail 45 is connected by a rod 57 to a bell crank 58. Said bell cranks 58 are connected by rods 59 to hell cranks (30, which bell cranks 60 are connected together by a rod (31. Hence said switch lock rails are simultaneously operated when either of them is depressed by the wheels of a passing train. The length of the switch lock rails is such that during the passage of a train over them some of the wheels will be thereon, and hence said switch lock rails will be kept depressed, and since they are connected to the frog-operating devices will serve to keep the frogs from being casually moved.

Each track is provided, at a suitable distance in advance of a switch, with a trainoperated lever 62 connected by a rod 68 to a link lever 64. A train-operated bar 65, which is disposed on the outer side of one of the track rails, is connected by a rod 66 to said link lever. Said bar is supported by rods or links 67, the upper ends of which are pivotally connected thereto and the lower ends of which are pivotally connected to blocks or other suitable supporting devices 68. From the opposite end of said bar 65 extends a rod 69 which has a longitudinal slot 70. A pair of train-wheel-operated bars 72, 73, are pivotally connected together at their inner ends, by a pin or bolt 74 and said pin or bolt is also pivotally connected to the upper end of a rocker bar 75, which is pivotally mounted, as at 76, at a point near its center, and is provided near its lower end with a stud or pin 77. At the outer end of the bar 73 is a stud or pin 78 which operates in a longitudinal slot 79 in one end of a rod 80, the opposite end of which rod is connected to the bell crank 58. The stud or pin 77 of the rocker bar operates in a slot 81 in a link 82 which connects a pair of rods 83. The outer end of each of said rods is connected to one end of one of a plurality of rocker arms 84, the opposite ends of which are connected by a rod 85. A rod 86 connects one of the arms 84 to one of the bell cranks 56.

A signaling device 87, which Within the scope of my invention may be of any suitable construction, is located by the side of the track at a suitable distance in advance of the switch, and has an arm 88 which is connected by a link 89 to an arm 90 of a tappet device 91 which is mounted for oscillatory moiement in a pair of bearings 92. An arm 3 of said tappet device is connected h' a link til to one arm of a rocker element 95. which is also connected by rods 96 to one of the rocker arms 84.

In connection with my improved switches and operating mechanism therefor I provide the locomotive with lluid-pressure-controlled means for coaction with the train-operated switch lever it and with. a valve for coaction with the tappet device 91 to automatically set the air brakes in the event that a train should pass a signal which has been set t danger so as to bring the train to a stop. Hui-h lluid-pressiire-actuated mechanism is shown in Fig. 14 and comprises a cylinder 9T disposed verti ally and set on one side of the huromotive. preferably at one side of the pilot. a vertically movable frame 98 having guid arms Eli which operate in vertical guide op ning Hill on opposite sides of such cylinder. :1 piston 101 in the cylinder. connected by a rod 102 to the frame 98, a spring 103 in said eyliiuler bearing under said piston to nmmally raise the latter and the frame 15 and a tappet roller 104 which has its bearings near the lower ends of the sides of the said frame its. A steam pipe 105 leads to the upper end of said cylinder. A valve 106 is mounted on one side of the locomotive a. suitable distance above the track and is connected to tl e air pipe 10'? which leads from the air compressing pump 108 on the locomotive to the air brake system of the cars, and the said 'alve has an operating arm 109 which travels in a path intersected by the tappet devices 91 when the latter are in an elevated position. as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. When a train approaches a switch which is to be operated, the engineer admits steam to the cylinder 97 to cause the tappet 104 to be depressed so that such tappet will strike the lever ($2 as it passes the same and will partially turn such lever and hence will cause the bar it) connected thereto to be moved longitudinally. Such bar will be held in the position in which it is placed by the lever (-2 by the wheels of the train which pass over such bar, and such longitudinal movement of said bar will be transmitted to the bar 72 through the rod (it). and such bar 72 will turn the arm 75 slightly past a perpendicular p0 itiiru, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. ll. and cause such arm to hold such bar 72 and the bar T l. which is connected thereto, in inclined positions, as indicated in dotted lines in such figure, and above the track so that they Will be depressed by the wheels of a train and moved longitudinally by the action of the arm 75 to cause the rod 80 to actuate the bell crank 58 to which it is connected and hence cause such bell crank through the instrumentality of the rod 59, bell crank till, rods 61, 55, hell cranks 34, rods 43 and bell cranks 56 to move the cam bars 27 and the switch lock rails 25 and hence cause the switch frogs to be operated, as before stated. The switch lock rails will be kept depressed by the wheels of a passing train to hold the switch frogs in the required position and prevent casual movement of such switch frogs while the train is passing. it will be understood that both of the switches will be actuated simultaneously so that motion will. be transmitted from the distant switch through the connections hercinbefore described to the rod 85. arms til and i and from the latter through the link J3 to the tappet device 91 and the distant signal. so as to set such ,dista nt signal at the danger signal to warn an approaching train to stop and to set the stop device )1 at such distant signal in operative position, so that in the event that such approaching train should undertake to run past such distant signal the valve lUt'i thereof would be operated ll snch stop device 91, the air brakes of such train would be set, and such train would he brought to a standstill. its a train leaves a switch its tappet 104: by engagement with the last lever 62 which it passes will operate such lever to restore the switches to their original position.

It will. he understood that as each lever 6 52 is operated the motion of the same is communicated through the rod lit}, arm til, rod to, bar and rod (ill to the bar T2 so that sin-h bar will operate the arm iii, as bctl'ire described, and said arm by the i'i'iovement of its stud or pin 7? in the slot 81 of the link 82 Will cause such link to transmit motion to the rod 83 and from the latter through the rods 96 to the signaling mechanism and stop device and through rod S6 to the bell crank and from the latter to the switch frog operating mechanism.

Having thus described the invention. what. is claimed new,

1. In a railway switch, a pair of supporting members having faces forming inclined planes disposed in parallel relation, and a switch point or frog guided for vertical movement between said inclined planes.

2. In a railway switch, a pair of supporting members having faces forming inclined planes disposed in parallel relation, a switch point or frog guided for vertical movement between said inclined planes, :1 bar secured on the under side of the frog and having a plurality of inclined cam faces, and a supporting member placed uin'lerneath and having a plurality of correspondingly inclined E crating mechanism.

cam faces.

3. In a railway switch, the main and switch rails supporting members secured adjacent thereto and having opposing faces forming inclined planes disposed in parallel relation, a switch point or frog guided for vertical movement between said inclined planes and provided with grooves in opposite sides near its lower edges, a cam bar having a plurality of inclined cam faces supported adj ustably adjacent to the under side of the frog, and pairs of clamps supporting the cam bar and engaging the longitudinal grooves in the sides of the frog.

4. A metallic tie bar, having raised end portions provided with vertical recesses, main rails and switch rails supported upon said raised portions, supporting blocks secured upon the rails and having oppositely inclined faces disposed adjacent to opposite sides of the recesses in the raised portions of the tie plates, switch points or frogs guided for vertical movement between said inclined faces or planes, and means for effecting vertical adjustment of the frogs disposed in the recesses in raised portions of the tie plates.

In a railway switch, a plurality of metallic tie bars having raised end portions provided with vertical recesses, cam bars supported in said recesses at each side of the track, said cam bars being provided with inclined cam faces disposed adjacent to one side of each tie bar, main rails and switch rails supported upon the raised portions of the tie bars adjacent to the recesses therein, supporting members secured upon the rails and having oppositely inclined faces adjacent to opposite side edges of the recesses, switch points or frogs guided for vertical movement between said inclined faces or planes, and cam bars secured adjustably upon the under sides of the frogs and having cam faces adapted for engagement with the faces of the cam bars supported in the recesses of the tie bars.

6. In a railway switch, a plurality of tie bars having raised end portions provided with vertical recesses, cam bars disposed in said recesses and having inclined faces main rails and switch rails supported upon the tie bars, supporting members secured upon the rails and having oppositely inclined faces adjacent to opposite sides of the recesses in the tie bars, switch points or frogs guided for vertical movement between the inclined faces or planes, said frogs being provided with longitudinal grooves, pairs of clamping members suitably connected and slidably engaging the longitudinal grooves, a cam bar supported by said clamping members and having inclined faces adapted for co-action with the inclined faces of the cam bars suplongitudinal 3 ported in the recesses of the tie bars, and op- 7. In a railway switch,the main rails and switch rails, supporting blocks secured to the sides of the rails and having oppositely inclined faces disposed in parallel relation, a switch point or frog guided for vertical movement between the inclined planes, a bar guided for longitudinal movement upon the under side of the frog and having a plurality of inclined cam faces, and a supporting bar having inclined cam faces co-acting with those of the longitudinally movable bar.

In a railway switch, the combination of the main and the switch rails, supporting members secured upon the rails and having faces forming oppositely inclined planes, a switch point or frog guided for vertical movement between said inclined planes, a link supported guard-rail operable by the wheels of a train, and means connecting said guard-rail with the movable switch element to lock the latter against casual movement while a train is passing.

9. In a railway switch, the combination of supporting members having faces forming oppositely inclined planes, a switch element guided for movement between said inclined planes, a link supported guard-rail operable by the wheels of a train, and means connecting the guard-rail with the movable switch element to lock the latter against casual movement while a train is passing.

10. I11 a railway switch, the combination of supporting members having faces forming oppositely inclined planes, a switch element guided for movement between said inclined planes, a link supported guard-rail operable by the wheels of a train, means connecting said guard-rail with the movable switch element to lock the latter against casual movement while a train is passing, and spring means for elevating the guardrail after the passage of the train.

11. In a railway switch mechanism, a pivotally supported rocking-bar having a laterally projecting stud at one end, links connecting the opposite end of the rocking element with a pair of longitudinally slid-able connecting rods, having slots slidably engaging studs upon the links. pivotally supported rocket-arms, a slotted plate or link engaging the laterally extending stud of the rocking clement, links connecting said slotted plate with the rocking arms, and signaling mechanism suitably connected with said arms and operable thereby.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature 1n presence of two witnesses.

CLAUDE C. SWAN.

Witnesses ALBERT G. Lance, EMILY A. HAUGH. 

